Leave Out All The Rest
by redrobinhood
Summary: Nightwing watched as the Red Hood's back arched slightly under the impact, then his legs gave out from underneath him. Nightwing caught him at the last moment as sirens rang in the distance. The Joker stood back and laughed. Nightwing's fingers reached down to feel Jason's pulse, it was quick and weak. "No, God please no…" On hiatus until I remember where I was going with the plot
1. Chapter 1

**Instead of working on the fic I should've been working on I decided to start another story based off an idea I got while falling asleep. Hopefully I should get some more inspiration for my other one soon but in the mean time, have some ****tragedy.**

**Note: This story is not going to have a happy ending. Sorry**

* * *

"Out of the way!" A sleek dark shape lept over some surprised citizens. Quickly turning the corner at high speed, aided by a convient drainpipe to grab on to. Nightwing, for it was indeed the vigilante hero of Blüdhaven, kicked down the door with a powerful kick. He rolled in, coming up with escrima sticks at the ready as he stared down the Joker.

"My my, what do we have here?" The clown said as he ran his hand down the bound bird's cheekbones. Robin made a small sound in protest but his struggles went unnoticed by the psychopath.

"Let him go."

* * *

Dick stood by his brothers bedside as tears rolled down his cheeks.

* * *

"Or what? You'll whack me? Call in daddy bats?"

Nightwing watched as Robin thrashed against the chains.

"Don't make me give him the same lesson I gave his predecessor..."

"Yeah, like that lesson stuck!" The Joker turned to see a red helmeted figure behind him, between him and Robin.

* * *

"Hang in there Jay." Dick planted a kiss on his brothers forehead, right below the white lock of hair.

* * *

"My my if we don't have all the boy blunders now, magnificent!" The Joker smiled and turned back to Nightwing. "Anyone else?"

The corner of Nightwing's mouth twitched. "None but us Robin's here." He grinned as a dark purple shape dropped from the sky, wrapping it's legs around the Joker's neck it pulled the clown down with little effort. The purple hood looked up, the white sockets of the full face mask shone against the dark material.

" "None but us Robin's?" That is the worst one-liner I have ever heard! Though it is nice to be included." She cocked her head to the side as she stood, her hand one her hip as she glared down the man in front of her.

"You should have been around during the "Holy 'insert something here' Batman!" phase he went through." The Red Hood groaned. "Help me get your boyfriend down would ya? I swear he's put on weight since I last picked him up." Spoiler grinned and walked over with a lock pick in hand. She reached up as the Red Hood held Robin around the waist, ready to catch him when the cuffs broke. After a minute of cursing Spoiler finally cracked the lock and Red Hood caught Robin as he fell, hoisting the younger boy up from under his shoulders. "It's your turn to carry him, 'Wing."

* * *

Stephanie walked in hesitantly. "How's he doing?" She played with her blonde hair nervously as she waited for a reply.

* * *

Nightwing rolled his eyes and sighed as he walked over and hoisted Robin over his shoulder. "If I remember correctly it's always my turn." In response he got a small shoulder shake from the Red Hood, which meant he was smiling under the hood. It was a subtle movement that Nightwing had picked up on after a few months of looking at a blank red mask.

Spoiler looked down at the Joker as he lay prone on the ground. "Is he really out? I don't think I hit tha-AAA!" As she spoke the Joker had snapped to consciousness and grabbed her cape, pulling her over towards him as he quickly stood. Red Hood stepped in front of her, catching her in his arms as she hit him chest on, knocking the breath out of both of them. Then the Joker's arm was around Red Hood's neck as he held him in a headlock, his arm positioned to break Red Hood's spine in an instant. Spoiler and Nightwing froze as the madman searched through Red Hood's belt pouches and holsters until he held up a gun. Nightwing dropped Robin and grabbing Spoiler's arm, pulled her behind him protectively.

The Joker raised the gun to Red Hood's helmeted head, cocking it as his grin grew even bigger. Red Hood didn't do anything, and Nightwing knew that was because Red Hood was paralyzed from fear. He still flinched from clowns on TV, what was he thinking now?

* * *

Dick sighed. "Not good, the doctors, they say…" His voiced trailed off as he lay his head in his hands. "How am I going to tell Roy and Kori?"

* * *

"Joker." Nightwing's voice was flat and emotionless. "Joker, let him go." He saw the Joker's arm tighten around his brothers neck as Red Hood made a small squeaking noise of protest. "You don't want to do this."

"Oh do I?" The Joker laughed. "Because my gut instinct is telling me to shoot this little boy in the head right now! Tell me, can this hood stand up to a direct hit? HAHAHA!" Red Hood's hands pushed at the arm around his neck as the clown laughed in his ear. "Oh ho ho, what do you think you're doing?" The Joker traced the gun down his hostages neck. "I wonder if I could hit the heart at this angle, that'd be a slow painful death… though nothing beats the good ol' crowbar!"

"Joker, stop. Put the gun down, the police will be here any moment to take you back to Arkham. You can't run, so why not go the easy way?" Spoiler grabbed Nightwing around the waist, burying her face in his shoulder blades as her body shook with unvoiced sobs.

"Oh back to my cozy cell! I'll only break out again through the revolving door! But you are right, the easier way is better." He let go of Red Hood's neck and shoved him towards Nightwing. "You can never be sure if they've reinforced those crazy helmets kids wear nowadays."

* * *

"Tell us what?" Dick and Stephanie looked up as the two redheads entered the room.

* * *

"However, this will be more painful." Joker raised the gun. Red Hood and Nightwing's eyes met through the lenses of their mask and helmet. The Joker stepped up and pressed the gun to Red Hood's back. Nightwing stepped forward. The Joker pulled the trigger.

"No!" Nightwing watched as the Red Hood's back arched slightly under the impact, then his legs gave out from underneath him. Nightwing caught him at the last moment as sirens rang in the distance. The Joker stood back and laughed as Nightwing felt around for the release on the hood. When he found it he quickly pulled the hood off and threw it back onto the ground near Robin. His fingers reached down to feel Jason's pulse, it was quick and weak. "No, God please no…" He slapped Jason's face lightly until the green eyes opened behind the red mask he'd worn under his hood.

" 'Sup D'ckface?" Jason said weakly, then he began to cough. Nightwing lifted him up slightly but abandoned that idea quickly when Jason gave a small cry of pain. Instead Nightwing lay his brother flat on the floor. When the coughing fit subsided Jason lifted a finger to the edge of his lips. It came back bloody. "Sh't." He whined.

"Ssh, it's going to be okay, sssh." Nightwing tenderly stroked the inky black hair away from Jason's forehead with one hand while pressing down on the wound with his other. Jason watched him with dull eyes as his chest rose and fell weakly.

* * *

"Nothing good." Dick said quietly, looking back at Jason. "We got the X-rays back…"

* * *

"This is- oh God…" Commissioner Gordon stood in the doorframe with the rest of his force behind him. "Call an ambulance, now!" He barked to one of the younger cops who nodded and disappeared from the doorframe. Some of the higher ranking officers ran over to restrain the Joker as Gordon knelt next to Nightwing and Jason. Blood was starting to seep through Jason's vest and pool around his midriff in a dark crimson puddle.

Gordon touched Jason's cheek gently, then felt his pulse. "He's in shock." Gordon looked at Nightwing's pale face. "Are you okay?"

"I wasn't hurt, but no. I'm not okay." Nightwing's voice shook as he looked back at Gordon. He moved his left hand, the one that had been stroking Jason's hair, to help cover the wound.

"Ambulance is on it's way, sir." The cop from earlier came over, looking down at Jason's figure. "Will it still be needed, sir?"

"If I know anything about this family," the commissioner hissed, "then I know that it will indeed be needed!" The cop nodded swiftly and walked quickly back outside as a figure in a trench coat entered.

"Detective Nie." Commissioner Gordon nodded at the new arrival. Nightwing's head flinched as if to look up but he kept his gaze on Jason.

"Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing." Nie nodded as he walked over and knelt behind Nightwing. Gently he put his hand on the vigilante's shoulder.

* * *

"…the doctors say…" Dick turned away from Jason again as tears pricked in his eyes.

* * *

"Is this your brother?" He asked softly. Nightwing gave a small nod in reply. "Do you have his information? Blood type, allergies, anything of the sort?" Nightwing pointed to Jason's right hand glove. Nie reached down and finding a small pocket there, opened it and drew out a small card. "Thank you, Nightwing." He stood up, slipped his coat off his shoulders and put it around Nightwing's thin body.

Nie and Gordon looked up as they heard sirens coming closer.

"That'll be the ambulance." Gordon said.

"Good." Nie turned to where Spoiler and the recently awake Robin were standing breathlessly. "I need you two to pull Nightwing back, it'll be easier for the medics without interference."

"Of course." Spoiler nodded and walked over to Nightwing, she put her arms around under his shoulder blades and pulled gently. "Come on 'wing, the ambulance is almost here, he's going to be okay." Robin joined her a few seconds later and they managed to drag Nightwing a few steps back just as the medics came in. He fought roughly against them but Robin wrapped his arms around his older brother and pulled him to his chest.

"This is his information, make sure he gets the best care possible." Detective Nie handed the card over to one of the medics as they gingerly lifted Jason onto a stretcher, they already had braces on his neck and torso as they wheeled him to the ambulance.

Gordon walked over to the teens and young adult. He helped Nightwing to his feet and held the young man against his chest. "It's going to be okay, he'll be okay, I promise." While he spoke he rubbed circles on Nightwing's back. The trench coat had fallen off and Robin bent over to get it, carrying it back over to Nie.

"Thank you." Robin said quietly. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how do you know Nightwing?"

Nie took the coat and gave a small smile. "We worked a case together." He looked over to where Gordon stood comforting the suddenly small looking vigilante. "You might want to get Nightwing home, I'd say he's going into shock as well."

Robin looked over. "I'll make sure he's okay."

* * *

"… Oh God, Jay." Dick hide his face in his hands again.

"Dick, tell us. Please." Roy pleaded as he lay his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Dick looked back over at Jason one more time as a tear traced down his cheek. "They say he's never going to walk again."


	2. Chapter 2

Roy and Kori sat by Jason's bedside. It had been two weeks and he hadn't woken up yet. The doctors said it was from the trauma but they were getting worried. Many wires and tubes were hooked up to his body, which suddenly seem frail and thin, and the oxygen mask masked his jawline. There were two chairs by the bed, no more were needed as not many visitors had come. Just most of the family, with the strange exception of Bruce. Dick had just left to go on patrol and they expected Tim soon. The two boys and Stephanie had been doing shifts during visiting hours along with Roy and Kori. The two redheads would also do shifts when it wasn't visiting hours, but no one needed to know that.

Isabel had come by once the first week. Her and Stephanie had gotten along quite well, enough to make Tim, who had dropped by to bring coffee, exit the room rather quickly after entering.

Roy looked over to see Kori softly singing, and occasionally humming, a song in Tamaranian while brushing Jason's long bangs out of his face. Besides the soft voice it was as quite as the grave. Well, the graves whose people are actually dead in anyways.

Roy's head shot to the left when he heard an annoyed groan. Kori stopped singing and looked over to.

"Jason?" She asked, holding her breath.

The silence seemed to go on forever until Jason opened one eye slightly. "That was an experience." He rasped. Kori and Roy laughed as Kori hugged Jason as well as she could around all the tubes in his body. Tim walked in at that moment with a handful of roses. He looked at Jason, then at the roses, then back at Jason.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." He said with a shrug and grin. Jason tried to laugh but ended up coughing, ripping off the oxygen mask as he did so. Roy reached over and grabbed a glass of water someone had left on the bedside table earlier and held it to Jason's lips. When Jason could speak again he looked at Tim.

"So Jason would, were he not Jason called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title!" Jason said with a grin. Roy smacked him. Tim laughed and plopped the roses in the empty vase on the bedside table.

"The Gordon's send their regards." Tim said, gesturing to the roses. "And where did you" he sat down near the foot of Jason's bed "learn Shakespeare?"

"Please, I lived with Alfred for about four years of my life. Name a British classic."

"Downtown Abbey!" Tim smirked, leaning forward with his head propped up in his hands.

"That was low, but yes I've seen most of it." Jason cringed.

"Whoo TV buddies!" Roy said holding up his hands for a high five. None came. He put his hands back down.

"Roy, no." Kori shook her head.

Tim stood up with his cellphone in hand. "I'm gonna call Alfred, update him." He said with a small smile before exiting.

"So," Jason broke the awkward silence that followed, "they get the Joker?" He stopped to cough into his elbow, the one that wasn't hooked up to machines. "And when am I gonna be released?"

Roy bit his lip. "They... they caught the Joker. He's back in Arkham now. Him and his insane girlfriend." Roy turned to Kori when he finished speaking, refusing to look Jason in the eye.

"And when can I get back to kicking butt?" Jason asked rather impatiently. Kori made a small noise then excused herself from the room via the open window. Jason turned to Roy. "Is there something I should know?" He asked with a slight growl. Roy suddenly become fixated with the roses. Jason moved as if to get up but only moved one inch. He stopped trying, his pupils dilated as his breathing quickened, Roy tried to hold him down with a hand on Jason's chest but Jason knocked it off.

"Why can't I feel my legs?" He glared at Roy. Tim stood silently in the doorway. "Harper!" Jason grabbed Roy's arm and pulled the red head slightly closer. "_Why can't I feel my legs?_" Roy looked back silently, his chin trembling slightly. Jason let go and collapsed back on the bed, turning away with a look of loathing as he buried his face in the pillow.

"I'm so sorry." Roy whispered as a tear made its way down his cheek.

* * *

"Knock knock?" A head peeked around the corner of the door-frame. "Anybody home?"

"Go away, Dick." Jason groaned from under his bedsheets. Dick walked over and sat next to the red lump.

"You want to talk about it?" Dick patted Jason's shoulder, or what he assumed was his shoulder, through the comforter. Jason had been moved to the manor that morning, having been released from the hospital, and had decided to sulk in bed.

"No." Jason refused, burrowing deeper into the sheets. Dick sighed and kicked off his shoes before climbing in under the sheets as well so he was looking Jason in the eye.

"Not even a little bit? Come on, we're gonna have movie night!" Dick punched Jason's arm lightly. "Bruce got Guardians of the Galaxy, you know, the one that when it was in theaters we were out saving the actual galaxy, it has the raccoon and the tree." Dick scooted closer. "Come on Jay."

"I'm not leaving." Jason muttered, burrowing deeper into the sheets. Dick opened his mouth to speak but Jason interrupted. "Just go, please, I'm tired." Dick frowned slightly as he pulled Jason up a bit so his upper body was on the pillows above the blanket.

"Just don't suffocate." Dick said tucking the blankets around Jason's legs and lower body. "Call me if you change your mind okay?" He nodded to the telephone by the bed. After Jason promised that he would, his eyelids drooping with exhaustion, Dick leaned over and gave Jason a small kiss on the forehead before getting up and grabbing his shoes. "Get some rest Jaybird." He said with a small smile before ducking the pill bottle thrown at him from the bed. With a light laugh he put the bottle back on Jason's nightstand then left the room.

* * *

Across the garden a dark figure sat in one of the tall oak trees watching the silhouettes in the window.

"Soon." It whispered.


End file.
